Rubber gear for water-meters.



W. H. LARRABEE. RUBBER GEAR POR WATER METERS.

APPLICATION FILED 11110.17. 1999.

1,007,296. l Panted 0111.311911 FIEL? UNTTEE sTATEs PATENT oEErcE.

WILLIAM iB.; `IJARRABIEIE, OFV WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGrNOBl TO UNION WATER METER COMPANY, 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

RUBBER GEAR FOR WATER-METERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. si, '1911.

Application led December 17, 1909. Serial No. 533,58.

Worcester, in the county of Worcester and 5 State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful ImprovedI Rubber Gear for Water-Meters, of which the following is a specication, reference being made therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates more especially to gears designed for employment in water- `meters, or other similar mechanism, wherein the gears are required to be of a non-corrodi- .ble nature andtooperate immersed in water or a liquid medium; and wherein it is desirable to have the specific gravity of the gears as near that of the water as can conveniently be done; the gear being constructed of suitably eilicient material.

Hard rubber or vulcanite gears have heretofore been used in certain types of watermeters, usually to. run in conjunction with bronze or brass pinions, and such gears have proved excellent under easy service and light power, but it has been found that in the larger sized mechanisms there is liability of the gear teeth becoming broken olf when sudden strain is brought upon them; espe-k cially after they have been 1n use for a considerable time and the rubber has become somewhat ldeteriorated by exposure and time.

`The prime object of my present invention is to provide a practically noncorrodible toothed gear of light weight; strong, durable and highly. efficient for the purposes specied, and in which the teeth will not be liable vto become broken o in operating under severe strain; also, an integral vulcanized gear having a ythin metallic peripheral reinforce exposed in its toothed face, intermediate-the vends of the teeth, for the purpose set forth.

The nature and construction of my improved gear is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and hereinafter explained with references thereto; the particular subject-matter claimed being definitely set forth in the summary.

In the drawings, Figure-'1 represents a plan view of thev prepared lgear-blank as molded and turned to the required size, and

Fig. 2 a plan view of the gear completed.

In each of these views a portion is shown 55 broken away to reveal the internal structure. Fig. 3 is a view of the toothed face of the gear. Fig. 4 isa transverse central section. Fig. 5 is a plan view, and Fig. 6 a cross-section of the annular metal reinforce plate. Fig. 7 is a plan view illustrating the annular reinforce plate as having a dentated or irregular inner edge; also showing a scored, roughened or knurled side sprface. Fig. 8 is a cross-section view illustrating a curved or warped annular reinforce plate. Fig. v9 is a View of the face of my toothed rubber gear, illustrating the arrangement ofthe curved, corrugated or warped annular reinforce therein, andv Fig. 10 isa central cross-section of my toothed rubber gear illustrating the arrangement of a flat annular reinforce plate disposed therein inclined to the plane of the gear disk.

Myinvention consists in providing a vul ca nized hard-rubber toothed gear with an internal `integrally. united c'omparatively thin annular plate of brass, or any suitable bronze alloy, embedded in the peripheral portion of the hard-rubber body, and exposed at the face of the gear intermediate the ends of the teeth, and forming a narrow metallic reinforce extending through and conforming tothe outline contour of the teeth and spaces. g

Referring to the drawings, R indicates the body of the gear, which is composed of hard rubber or vulcanite, and M indicates the thin annular plate or ring of brass or bronze alloy. This ring or annulus is preferably about one thirty-second of an inch, more or less, in thickness.- lts outside diameter is made approximately equal to the size of the gear blankRl, while its inside diameter is somewhat less than the 'diameteri at the roots 2 of the gear vteeth- 4, so that it forms a complete circle within the circle of the teeth. `I f' ln the construction of the ring M its centralopening 5 can; be circular, as shown in Fig. 5; or preferably formed with a dentated orirregular edge 6, of any approved shape, as in Fig. 7. The side faces of the annulus can be plain, aseat 7, or may be roughened, scored, or knurled, as at 9, to afford the rubber a stronger grip oradhesion to the metal. The method of making this improved gear is as follows: The thin brass annulus M is laced in a suitable mold, together with and etween two disks or masses of rubber compound 'suilicient for the desired thickness of 

